The Price of a Wish
by JkawaiiNeko
Summary: After everyone gets their happy endings, Emma finds that life is actually quite boring. She yearns for the days where her heart would race, where she would feel alive, when life was more than just going to work and coming home. But when Emma's wish is granted and the fate of her daughter is the price she must pay, Emma wishes she had never made such a selfish wish in the first plac


"We're going to be late if you don't get up soon, Mrs. Jones."

"Mmm," Emma hummed, her eyes fluttering open at the sound of her husband's voice close to her ear. She turned onto her back, looking up at him with a rueful smile before he pressed a gentle, quick kiss to her lips. He leaned back and moved a strip of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "You're already dressed," she said.

"Aye," he agreed with a nod and a chuckle, "I've also dressed the lass and fed her."

As if she knew that they were speaking about her, Gracie cooed from her position by Killian's side on the bed.

Emma furrowed her brows and sat up, the haze of sleep finally leaving her as realization struck her. Exactly what time was it if he had had time to do all of that? She turned to the side to get a better look at her nightstand and pressed a button on her cellphone to make it light up. "Oh my god, Killian! Why didn't you wake me sooner," she yelled, swinging her legs out of the bed and rushing out of their bedroom.

She could hear Killian's chuckle behind her, causing her to scowl as she rummaged through her dresser and closet.

"I thought I'd let you sleep in for once," he replied. "I can take Gracie to daycare and go open the station myself, if you'd like."

"No, no. Just wait. I'll be ready in ten," Emma called back as she rushed out of the room. She turned the shower on and stepped inside, then yelped when the chilly water splashed against her skin before turning warm.

By the time she had washed and dressed herself, Killian and their daughter had already ventured downstairs. He chewed on a slice of toast as Gracie smacked her toy against the kitchen counter, laughing. Emma was surprised that Gracie wasn't doing something like wandering off into the living room to plug a fork into the socket. She was a beautiful little girl with dark hair and green eyes, but she was a handful. Her sense of adventure seemed to know no boundaries. Emma frequently found herself wondering if the small girl would always be this way or if it was just because she was in her "terrible two's".

"I'm ready," Emma said, slipping on her signature red leather jacket.

Killian smirked and nodded, his eyes sweeping from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet then back up to her eyes, his own shining with pleasure and something akin to mischief. Emma felt her heart flutter. They had been married for three years, surely, they had passed their honeymoon phase, but he still looked at her the same. It was the only constant that she seemed to enjoy nowadays.

"As am I," he replied, handing her a slice of toast with butter. Emma thanked him and accepted the bread so that Killian could turn around and pick up Gracie.

They walked to the car and Killian put Gracie in her car-seat as Emma settled into the front seat and started the vehicle. She sighed, stuffing the last of the toast into her mouth. Well, that was quite the morning, she thought as she swiped the crumbs from her fingers.

Then a feeling of unbridled sadness hit her like a ton of bricks.

It was really a shame. Being late for work was what Emma considered to be _exciting_ nowadays?

Killian got into the passenger seat and they were off, a slight wind catching Emma's long hair with the windows rolled down. They passed the familiar scenery of Storybrooke; Granny's diner, Archie walking Pongo, a group of schoolchildren crossing the street on the way to school.

Everything was how it always was. Peaceful, perfect, mundane, consistent. It was the same thing every morning. Aside from being slightly late today, she would wake up, get ready for work with Killian, drop Gracie off at Cinderella's daycare and go to work where there was rarely anything noteworthy to do- no one committed any crimes in Storybrooke and if they did they were only petty charges. They would go pick up Gracie and Henry would sometimes come over after high school to do his homework, relax or play with his little sister. Henry would go home to Regina and then Emma would spend time with Killian and Gracie. On the weekends Emma would go see her parents or hang out with Regina with the occasional visit from Belle or any other random person in Storybrooke.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

Everyone was content with their lives. Their happy-endings.

It made Emma sick to think that she possibly wasn't. She was selfish, she knew. She had the man of her dreams and she had a beautiful daughter. Henry was growing into a fine young man. Regina and Mary Margaret were always there to talk to.

No one was casting spells on them or stealing their memories. No one was whisking them off to faraway lands or forcing them to make tough decisions or deceiving them.

Life was normal- even more normal than before Henry had found her.

Her life was now perfect. But it didn't always feel that way. That was why she had done something she probably shouldn't have last night, though she was the only one who knew.

She had wished upon a fallen star that something exciting would happen to her.

"You're zoning out again, love."

Emma blinked as Killian's hook blurred in and out of her vision. She turned to him and tried to spare him a smile, but it felt fake and forced. As she suspected, he saw right through it, judging by the frown that he wore.

"Emma. What's wrong?" he asked. It was a question, but his tone suggested that he was demanding an answer.

Emma swallowed hard and looked down at the steering wheel, gripping it between her fingers. They had already dropped Gracie off and were now parked in front of the station. She had been driving in silence the entire time, she was so lost in her thoughts. No wonder Killian was looking at her like she had grown another head.

Still, Emma didn't want to worry him. He had been so happy lately- how could she? Tell her husband that she was bored with their happy life. It would hurt him down to the core. They had worked so hard for this. What kind of woman was she, to not want it?

So, she unbuckled her seatbelt and turned the car off. "Nothing. I just need more to eat than toast for breakfast," she said with what she hoped was a convincing chuckle.

Killian was still looking at her as if he didn't believe her, but Emma feigned ignorance and got out of the car before he could inquire further. She rushed into the building, turning on the lights and the radio on her messy desk.

"If you're still hungry I'll go to Granny's and pick you up something," Killian said, "we're late to do rounds anyways."

Emma tilted her head to the side, the prospect of leaving the station even though she had just gotten there intriguing her. It'd certainly veer her from the norm. Perhaps this entire day could turn out to be something different.

Stars Above, she hoped so. _Anything_ would be a welcome change. Maybe her wish was being granted after all.

"I'll go," she replied, already moving towards the door. She hated to leave Killian to this boring place, but he seemed to be content with the idea, as he was already settling into his chair to look through the paperwork they had left there the night before. "You want anything while I'm out?"

"Aye. Just a sandwich will do," he said. Emma nodded and turned to leave, but just as she reached the door she heard Killian's voice again: "Are you sure nothing is the matter, Emma?"

Emma hesitated. She could turn around and tell him now. Tell him that she had grown bored with their mundane life, even tell him that she had made a wish. But it wouldn't change anything. That wish, though it was making her feel guilty, wouldn't change anything. He would perhaps leave Gracie with the Charmings and surprise Emma by taking her on a trip to see sights neither had seen before in the States. Get out of Maine for a bit.

But she knew they would eventually have to come back. That they would raise Gracie and perhaps she could have her own big adventures out there in the world. But excitement, fear, shock, the desperate need to rescue her loved ones- that delicious invigorating feeling wasn't written in the stars for Emma anymore.

She wasn't The Savior. She was just Emma Swan-Jones. Sheriff of Storybrooke, the place where nothing ever happened to anyone. Ever. Wife to an ex-pirate who had lost his taste of danger in exchange for a simple lifestyle. Daughter of a King and Queen that had no one to rule.

This was her life. And she'd better start getting used to it.

"I'm fine, Killian. Thanks, though," she added, slipping out of the door without looking back or waiting for his reply.

She didn't bother driving, as the walk would be longer. She figured she could use the fresh air and to use her legs. With years of tranquility under her belt, she found that even walking to Granny's was more tiring than it used to be. She didn't have to run from place to place searching for some mysterious relic, after all.

The bells above the door chimed as Emma stepped through. A couple of the patrons greeted her happily, to which she smiled and greeted them back.

"How's it going hun?" Granny asked as she served Emma a bowl of hearty chili and crackers and set Killian's to-go sandwich to the side.

"I can't complain," Emma said automatically even though she had been doing nothing but complaining to herself all morning.

Granny raised a grey eyebrow. "I don't know…I don't mean to pry but," she leaned down closer to Emma across the counter, lowering her voice to a whisper, "you have just seemed a bit down in the dumps lately."

Emma lowered her spoon back down to her bowl, her stomach suddenly twisting in knots. Had she been that obvious? "I just…" Emma fidgeted. She couldn't talk to Killian about it for sure, but maybe letting in an older and wiser person on her concerns a little wouldn't hurt. Maybe she should even go to see Archie. "Have you ever made a wish? One that you knew was selfish but you made it anyways?"

Granny furrowed her brow, considering the question as she polished a glass. "I suppose so. But it's alright to be selfish sometimes, you know. If it doesn't hurt anyone. Sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants. You just have to figure out if that wish is worth it or not. Does that help any?"

Emma nodded, though she was still a bit confused. "Yeah, thanks Granny," she said lowly. Thankfully, Granny turned away to another customer coming up to the counter.

Emma ate the majority of her chili before a phone call made her phone buzz unexpectedly in her pocket. Killian was calling- strange. He knew she would be back soon so she wondered what couldn't wait until then.

As soon as she answered, Killian's voice, near shouting blared through the phone. "I just got a call from Cinderella. It's Gracie! I'm on the way to get you from Granny's now." That said, he hung up the phone before she could respond.

A feeling of pure terror raced through Emma, turning her limbs numb, her blood cold. The only thing she could hear was her heart slamming almost painfully in her chest and she had the horrible thought that she was surely about to have a heart attack.

That thought alone reminded her to breathe. She sucked in a gasp full of air as if she had just been drowning underwater.

"Emma? Are you alright?" Granny was back, staring at her with a puzzled expression. "You're as pale as a ghost."

Emma sprang into action. She practically flew from her seat in the stool, leaving Killian's lunch on the counter and causing Granny to call after her. She ran outside, the cool autumn air smacking her in the face. She ran in the direction of the police station, hoping to run into Killian.

Her eyes were already filling with tears, her throat tight as images of her baby floated throughout her mind. Her sweet, beautiful baby girl.

Emma suddenly stopped running, a wave of nausea rolling over her, her legs aching. "She's alright," she said out loud, forcing herself to believe it, "she's alright."

Because she had to be. Nothing bad happened in Storybrooke anymore. Surely, Gracie had just come down with a cold and Cinderella wanted them to come get her. Maybe the toddler had even pooped in her pants and needed simply needed a change of clothes.

Emma was just overreacting.

But then, why had Killian sounded so distraught?

Just in time, their yellow car pulled up beside Emma. She jumped into the passenger seat and was lurched back as Killian began to speed off again, not bothering to wait for Emma to buckle up.

"Killian, wait! What's the problem," Emma yelled, grappling for her seatbelt.

"I told you, it's Gracie," he responded. "I don't know the entire story, but we've got to get there quickly."

"Then tell me what you do know," she said, holding on for dear life as Killian turned sharply.

"She's…." he breathed in and out heavily, his force contorting as if he were in physical pain. "She's been kidnapped."

The world stopped. "What?" Emma asked flatly.

Killian spared her a glance as he made another turn. "I said, Gracie has been kidnapped."

"That's not possible," Emma shouted. Her eyes wide, she knew she must have looked crazed, but she couldn't help it. "Nothing bad happens in Storybrooke anymore. We all got our happy endings!"

Killian didn't respond. For the first time in years, Emma wanted to grab him by his jacket and shake him.

They pulled up to the daycare and Emma couldn't get out of the quickly enough. Killian was already halfway to the door when she got out of the car. He still had the mind to hold the door open for her, but his eyes were tumultuous. They rushed inside and crashed into Cinderella's office. She jumped in shock, clasping her hands to her heart.

Emma didn't miss how her bright blue eyes were watery. "Emma, I am _so_ sorry," she sobbed out, tears suddenly gushing out of her eyes. "I tried to stop her, I swear!"

"Where is Gracie," Emma said, pulling Cinderella's hands down from her face. "Ellie, what happened?

Cinderella looked frightened, but she mustered up the strength to speak again. "I've never seen this person before. She came right in and snatched Gracie."

"She," Emma spat the word out as if it burned. "What did she look like?"

"She had long, scraggly gray hair. A face that looks like it was once beautiful with big pale green eyes, but she was so old. She looked withered."

"Which way did she go," Emma asked frantically.

"I'm not sure. She froze me in place."

Emma turned and ran for the door as she pulled out her cellphone. She called her father, gave him the description and then did the same with Regina and even Rumpelstiltskin. They would have to tell Henry after school. Her mind was rushing a mile a minute, so much so that she was barely able to keep up with her own thoughts.

She would have to go back to the house and retrieve something of Gracie's so that Regina could cast a locator spell on it while the Charmings scoured the town.

Whoever this person, this _villain_ was, she couldn't let her get away with this.

A sense of dread and guilt was already eating away at Emma's insides. She had wished for something exciting to happen, but she hadn't been anticipating her daughter being taken away from her.

"Emma!" Killian was behind her. " _Swan_ ," he said, grabbing her forearm. It had been so long since he had called her anything other than Mrs. Jones, love, or Emma, but she supposed she wasn't acting like herself at the moment.

"Killian, let go. We have to move," Emma said.

But he pulled her to his chest, his hand resting on the back of her head, his hook placed against the small of her back. "Breathe," he said. "We'll find her."

Emma sucked in a breath as suggested, but her head seemed to swim more with the effort. Her eyes were stinging. She wished she could afford the time to slump against her husband and cry, but every second she stood being weak could mean something bad was being done to her daughter.

Still, she rubbed his back, a small comfort, before pulling away and nodding. "Of course, we will," she said with as much confidence as she could muster.

They got into the car and were off to the house, Emma's mind filled with doubt and worry.

She couldn't help but think that this was her fault. She had wanted something to spice up her boring life, she had wanted to feel the adrenaline that came with adventure again. But she'd take being bored to death over her child being snatched any day.

She never should have made a selfish wish on a fallen star.

Magic always did come with a cost, after all.

* * *

 **A/N:** Can you guess who took baby Gracie?

This is my first OUAT fic. I hope that I can do the characters justice and give you guys something that will have you begging for the next chapter. This will be multichaptered, but not long. I haven't watched any of season 7 yet so any similarities or differences are straight from my imagination. Comments will be greatly appreciated!


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